Guru Nanak Dev ji's Parkash Purab : SikhsIndia

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1,500 Sikhs parade through Whalley Range and Old Trafford for opening of new temple

with thanks to memmedia UK : link above for detailed news .

Sikhs celebrate new Sri Guru Gobind Singh Gurdwara temple

Thousands of Sikhs have gathered to celebrate the opening of the community's first new temple in Manchester for 35 years.

An official opening ceremony was held at the £2m Sri Guru Gobind Singh Gurdwara in Whalley Range.

Celebrations are expected to last three days with a huge firework display planned.

Prakash Singh, general secretary of the gurdwara, said it was a great day for the Sikh community.

"It's 35 years since a new temple has opened in Manchester and we are very excited," he said.

Festive treats
With thanks : BBC News : link above for detailed news story.

Sikh celebrations soured by pilgrim rape claim

The occasion of Baba Guru Nanak Dev’s 543rd birth anniversary, for which more than 13,000 pilgrims had gathered at Nankana Sahib, was soured by allegations of a rape of a pilgrim.

The allegations fell on a police constable, who is said to have raped a Hindu woman on the premises of a Gurdwara.

The case was reported on November 8 at the Gurdwara Tambu Sahib, at a distance of one kilometre from Gurdwara Janam Asthan Nankana Sahib, Guru Nanak’s birthplace. However, the incident was hushed up by local authorities and the police, leaving most pilgrims unaware of the case, sources familiar with the matter told The Express Tribune.

The victim, one of around 10,000 Pakistani Hindu and Sikh pilgrims, had come to Nankana Sahib from Rahimyar Khan. More than 400 police personnel were deployed for the birth anniversary of the founder of Sikhism.

The constable was reportedly caught red-handed in a room at Gurdwara Tambu Sahib by some Sikh pilgrims who gathered at the Gurdwara for religious rituals, sources said, adding that the pilgrims thrashed the constable and locked him in the room.

The constable was handed over to DPO Dr Haider Ashraf who later sent the accused to a police station, sources added.

A case was registered at the Nankana Sahib police station on the complaint of the victim’s husband. Shahbaz, a clerk at the police station, said the FIR has been sealed while the accused constable has been sent to jail on judicial remand.

“We have taken action against the accused according to directions from higher authorities,” SHO Sajjad Akber said in response to the allegation. Ashraf said all evidence gathered will be sent for a DNA test.

The Evacuee Trust Property Board, however, said there was no rape case and a police officer had walked into the women’s bathroom.

with thanks : Tribune PK : link above

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Canada-based Sikh scholar to start online schools

Phagwara, Nov 11 (PTI) After setting up robotic touch screen technology museums on Sikhism and authoring a unique multimedia encyclopedia on the subject, a Canada-based scholar is now set to launch online schools that provides opportunity for study of the Sikh religion among other subjects. Raghbir Singh Bains, who is in his 70s and a recipient of several awards, including the Order of British Columbia, says he has already obtained registration for these on-line schools in Canada. Claiming it to be the first concept of its kind, Bains says a worldwide faculty of experts in subjects like Mathematics, Physics, Chemistry and Sikh religion would be recruited for providing free services in the online schools. "Retired experts ready to work for free will be taken on board of experts in various countries to answer in twenty four hours any question related to the four subjects," says Bains. "The courses will be put on the site of the school for the benefit of students who want to excel in studies and competitive examinations and other youths," adds Bains. He claimed that the concept would also render invaluable help in preparing youths, especially Punjabis, for premier competetive examinations in India. The scholar says the concept could also be converted into tutorial schools on internet under which nominal fee could be charged from the cyber students.

with thanks : IBNLive : link above.

Migrant labour now powers gurdwara langars

JALANDHAR/PHAGWARA: After industry and agriculture in Punjab, it seems even the institution of community kitchen or langar in gurdwaras - started by the first Sikh master and a symbol of equality among all sections of the society - can't do without migrant labour. The waning interest among Sikhs in the tradition of sewa (volunteer service) is forcing gurdwaras to hire this workforce to run langars on special days like gurpurbs.

Though the community takes great pride in the institution of langar and tradition of sewa, the lack of interest among devotees to perform sewa was amply apparent during the birth anniversary celebrations of the founder of Sikhism, Guru Nanak, at Jalandhar.

At several gurdwaras, especially in urban areas, unlike the earlier days when devotees would rush to gurdwaras to pay obeisance and get busy helping in the langar, on Thursday, one could only see hired labour preparing langar or doing other related work.

At Gurdwara Dewan Asthaan, migrants had been hired for preparing chapattis while the local Sikhs were supervising them and distributing langar.

with thanks : Times of India : link above for detailed news.